Preems power o’seas

'Potter' still B.O. gold

Stellar foreign preems by “8 Mile,” “Two Weeks Notice” and “Catch Me If You Can” juiced the weekend B.O. while “The Lord of the Rings” and “Harry Potter” juggernauts continued on their merry way.

Eminem starrer “8 Mile” rang up an estimated $6 million on 455 playdates in Germany (the sixth-biggest opening weekend locally for a Universal release) and $825,000 on 75 in Austria (Universal’s fourth highest).

The Curtis Hanson-helmed urban drama was a strong No. 2 in Germany behind the meteoric “Rings” sequel (which scored roughly $8 million in its third orbit) and No. 1 in Austria, per UIP. “This is a great start for ‘8 Mile’ and proves that this underdog story still connects to audiences around the world,” said Randy Greenberg, Universal senior VP intl. theatrical.

“Mile” was less alluring although respectable in Hong Kong, where Eminem isn’t a major star, fetching an estimated $220,000 on 17.

Nice numbers for ‘Notice’

Launched Jan. 1 Down Under, the Hugh Grant/Sandra Bullock starrer “Two Weeks Notice” banked $2.7 million in five days on 249; its four-day figure was on par with “Bridget Jones’s Diary” and 14.5% ahead of “My Big Fat Greek Wedding.”

Steven Spielberg’s “Catch Me If You Can” drummed up an estimated $3 million in five days on 320 in Mexico, the market leader.

Despite its blah domestic results, “Star Trek Nemesis” drew plenty of trekkies in Blighty, beaming up more than $3.2 million on 425, a solid second trailing the Hobbits’ third adventure.

“The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” captured $44 million in 35 markets, upping cume to $297.5 million, according to New Line Intl.’s estimates. The sequel is tracking 28% ahead of the first edition, which had racked up $232 million at the same stage of its foreign journey.

Its estimated cumes include the U.K.’s $61 million, Germany’s $52 million, France’s $30 million, Spain’s $21.6 million and Australia’s $15 million through its soph session.

There’s little doubt “Two Towers” will overtake “Fellowship of the Ring’s $547.7 million; by how much won’t be clear until after it blasts off in Italy Jan. 17 and Japan Feb. 22.

‘Harry’ climbs higher

“Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” minted approximately $25.9 million, hoisting cume to $512 million, as it vaulted past “Independence Day” to rank as the fifth-highest grossing title of all time overseas.

The Hogwarts kids commanded $1.46 million in five days on 126 in Poland, 20% ahead of the original and the industry’s second biggest debut behind “Fellowship of the Ring.”